Who We Are
At Lima Baptist Temple we are a growing group of people who believe
that God wants to do great things in and through you.
Throughout our history, we have existed to take
the changeless gospel to an always changing culture.
Our hope is that your family will experience messages they can relate to,
music that is uplifting, and a place where you can belong;
but, most of all, a life transforming relationship with Jesus!
We look forward to seeing you this weekend because we believe, you belong here!
What We Believe
About the Scriptures
We believe the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God and that men were moved by the Spirit of God to write the very words of Scripture. Therefore, we believe the Bible is without error.
About God
We believe in one God who exists in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus Christ is the second member of the Trinity (the Son of God) who became flesh to reveal God to man and to become the Savior of the lost world.
About Mankind
We believe that mankind was created in the image of God to have fellowship with Him but became alienated in that relationship through sinful disobedience. As a result, man is incapable of regaining a right relationship with God through his own effort alone.
About Salvation
We believe that the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross, provides the sole basis for the forgiveness of sin. Therefore, salvation occurs only when people place their faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as sufficient payment for their sin.
About the Christian Life
We believe that every Christian should live for Christ and not for himself. By obedience to the Word of God and daily yielding to the Spirit of God, every believer should mature and be conformed to the image of Christ.
About the Church
We believe that the church is the body of Christ, of which Jesus Christ is the head. The members of the church are those who have trusted by faith the finished work of Christ. The purpose of the church is to glorify God by loving Him and by making Him known to the lost world.
History
Lima Baptist Temple held its first service in 1954 at the Majestic Theater Building on South Main Street. With just a small group of people, LBT was started as a mission project of Akron Baptist Temple. Rev. Harold Morgan was our founding Pastor.
In 1961 the church called Pastor Ronald Cannon to lead the ministry. His first service saw 78 people in attendance with three decisions for Christ. During the 40 year ministry of Pastor Cannon, the church built a 600 seat auditorium in 1964 and later a new 1,200 seat auditorium in 1970 to accommodate the explosive growth. It was during these years that LBT became known for its emphasis on evangelism and missions.
Pastor Gary Hohman served as senior pastor during years 2000 to 2005. Today Pastor Hohman continues his ministry at Lima Baptist Temple as the “New Horizon’s” pastor, meeting the needs of the senior saints of the church. Pastor Dan Wigton served as senior pastor from 2005 through 2010 and from November of 2010 to May 2013, Dr. Charles D. Miller served as senior pastor.
In October 2013, Pastor Al Elmore accepted the call to LBT as the new senior pastor and is excited about the spirit and unity! God continues to bless and use LBT to minister to the Lima area and around the world. Our vision is to see people pursue and experience a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ, that it ends up transforming the world around them. Lima Baptist Temple is a church with a great history and a bright future.